Sharjah National Oil Corporation (SNOC) in association with the Young Professional team from Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Northern Emirates Chapter organized a geological field trip on Saturday 30th March. Taking advantage of the last few days of the winter season, a group of 18 students and 9 young professionals went to see the outcrops of Sharjah which are known for their complex geology.

These volcanic rocks and tropical reefs are just 30 minutes away in the Mleiha area in Sharjah, with the 5 Jebels of the Al Faiyah mountains sticking out of the flawless sand dunes deposited some 70 million years ago. Overlooking the Mleiha archaeological site, Jebel Faiyah offered scenic views and a great day out for the Petroleum Engineering students of American University Sharjah and Heriot-Watt University Dubai Campus. The focus of the trip was to show the students and young professionals under the age of 35 who have just joined the industry on how geology plays a key role in the exploration and development of hydrocarbons. Surface outcrops are crucial to compensate for the limitations of the subsurface data and understand the characteristics of a reservoir because both detailed lateral and vertical scale observations can be made. Lateral continuity, different facies and textures, type of porosity and important geological features (fault/fold for example) can be documented in detail and correlated to the subsurface domain which is associated with high cost of exploration due to the risk involved.

Siddharth Jain, Field Development Team Leader at SNOC who currently leads the Young Professional activities for the SPE Northern Emirates, “It is always interesting to have a look at geological outcrops as it gives direct access to the geological objects we are dealing with on our day to day operations. We find it is a good complement to our subsurface database, being able to literally touch the rocks gives us confidence in the understanding of these reservoirs”. The field trip was led by Raffik Lazar, principal consultant at GeomodL International, “The students got the opportunity to appreciate the complex geology of the Emirate of Sharjah along with discovering the rocks, their structural arrangement and some of the fossils hidden into it. This will benefit their understanding of geology and make them better petroleum engineers and geoscientists once they graduate”.

SNOC is currently undergoing exploration activities in the onshore acreage of Sharjah along with its partner ENI.